Graymills: A Local Firm
Plays on the Global Stage
IMTS and Midwest Clean Tech 2012
8 February 2012
Agenda
Who Are We?
A Global Market
Clean & Green
Questions?
Confidential information of Graymills Corporation. GMI1366.PPT - CJS
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Graymills starts – industrial pumps
 The company began by building pump and tank systems for
machine tools in 1939. Today, we supply many key machine
tool builders worldwide.
Confidential information of Graymills Corporation. GMI1366.PPT - CJS
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New post-war market – washers for industry and automotive
 Finding the market for pumps soft with all the war surplus,
the company added legs to a steel tank, making an industrial
parts cleaner.
 Today we offer products from benchtop units to ultrasonic
cleaners that can hold several engine blocks.
Confidential information of Graymills Corporation. GMI1366.PPT - CJS
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Serendipity – inking systems
 As aniline printing phased out because of health concerns,
liquid inks became more popular. Coincidentally, the key
manager at Sun Chemicals was a golfing buddy of the owner of
Graymills.
 Today Graymills dominates flexo and gravure markets in the
US, Europe (and now India!) and offers a full range of products,
including pumps, tanks, filters, and viscosity controls.
Peristaltic Pump
Diaphragm Pump
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Centrifugal
Pump
Graymills Today
 120,000 square feet in Chicago’s Northcenter neighborhood.
 Design (Solidworks, COSMOS, 3D printing, test labs, etc.)
 Machine shop (7 CNC machines)
 Sheet metal fab (laser, CNC bender, welding, powder coat)
 Assembly, testing, and shipping
 The ONLY manufacturing firm in the whole world with the El
running through its loading bays
 75 employees:
 70 in Chicago
 5 telecommuters in Lake Forest, Scottsdale, Dallas,
Minneapolis, New Jersey
 Board members of AIM and NORBIC
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Agenda
Who Are We?
A Global Market
Clean & Green
Questions?
Confidential information of Graymills Corporation. GMI1366.PPT - CJS
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Why does Graymills Export?
 One one level it’s purely a matter of market size. The US is
only a piece of the global market, and it is very saturated.
 Our customers are global, especially in the printing industry.
If we want to sell to the big printing press OEMs – even the
American ones – we need to be able to support them where
they sell. Standards, service, spares.
 Being global creates pull from the OEMs’ own customers. If
they are familiar with our products, they might demand
them.
 In all honesty, it’s fun (if sometimes a bit scary). Don’t
underestimate how important this is.
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Where does Graymills Export?
 Industrial pumps:
 Only Canada currently
 Looking at an acquisition in Europe as a launching pad
 Parts washers:
 Sell limited amounts direct globally
 Strong in Canada
 One large distributor in Europe
 Talking to manufacturing partner in Europe to expand
 Inking systems:
 Very strong in Canada and Europe
 Increasingly strong in India and Central America
 Asia, Middle East, and East Africa next targets
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How does Graymills Export?
 39 agent-distributors
 Legally distributors (take possession of goods, etc.)
 Exclusive territories
 Sell direct to end users (set own price) and work with
factory on OEMs and large accounts (we set price)
 Lesson learned – put agreements in writing, even if you
use US contract language
 US-based international sales manager
 Off-site in Dallas
 Manages reps and helps to coordinate leads and needs
with the factory
 Acts as ombudsman for the foreign territories
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Graymills and IMTS
 We exhibit our industrial pumps an parts washers only.
 We have been in more shows than I can recall – usually as
exhibitors AND buyers.
 While many shows have been decimated by the availability
of online information, we have found that IMTS continues to
draw the manufacturing community who want to see the
machinery in person.
 We find that the average lead from IMTS is very high-quality
and motivated. They typically have problems they need
solved, rather than being browsers.
 The show usually draws a large international contingent,
allowing us to reach foreign customers we otherwise would
miss.
Confidential information of Graymills Corporation. GMI1366.PPT - CJS
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Agenda
Who Are We?
A Global Market
Clean & Green
Questions?
Confidential information of Graymills Corporation. GMI1366.PPT - CJS
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Graymills has been involved with several green initiatives.
 Industrial cleaning – petroleum solvents to aqueous to
bioremediation:
Confidential information of Graymills Corporation. GMI1366.PPT - CJS
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Graymills has been involved with several green initiatives.
 Printing: High-VOC solvent-based to water-based to UV.
Though driven by emission requirements, the technology is
the result of the work of many companies in the industry.
 Graymills will be launching a new technology in 2012 that
will allow water-based and UV printers to reach a level of
quality that currently requires solvent.
Confidential information of Graymills Corporation. GMI1366.PPT - CJS
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Agenda
Who Are We?
A Global Market
Clean & Green
Questions?
Confidential information of Graymills Corporation. GMI1366.PPT - CJS
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Any questions?
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